Smoak & Guitars
by DKM
Summary: Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent. Tonight, he was beginning to realize just how true that statement was. Written for Summer of Olicity Challenge 2: Little Things


**Smoak & Guitars**

By: DKM

Rating: K

Pairing: Oliver/Felicity

Season/Episode: Pre 1x20

Category: Kinda fluffy, kinda angsty

Music: "Good Time" by Owl City and "Innocent" by Taylor Swift

Written for: Summer of Olicity Challenge 2: Little Things

Synopsis: Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent. Tonight, he was beginning to realize just how true that statement was.

AN: If you haven't heard about the challenge yet, I highly suggest you check it out! It's a hell of a lot of fun! Search Tumblr for SummerOfOlicity and you'll find it.

AN2: New chapter of Broken is up as well!

Thank you to hopedreamlovepray for helping me edit this story, over and over again, until the idea finally congealed and became this lovely little fic. Couldn't have done it without you, girl! Thanks for all your help!

Disclaimer: (the usual, don't own, idea was mine though)

* * *

_"Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent."_  
_-Victor Hugo_

He hadn't intended to go downstairs tonight. There was plenty of paperwork to be done in his office, but he needed a break from all the loud music and the constant stream of people looking for his attention. To say Oliver Queen was getting sick of the club life would be a travesty, but he was. No longer the playboy of days gone by, he preferred the quiet of the basement where interruptions were few and far between, especially when there wasn't much of his _other_ work to be done.

He'd also needed a break from the list. Oliver hadn't realized he was pushing himself and his team so hard these past few weeks. It wasn't until he'd found his IT girl passed out in front of her computers that he finally decided they all needed a week off. Today marked day three and he was beginning to wonder what his team did in their free time. With Diggle, it was easy to figure out where he'd gone: most likely to spend time with Carly.

Felicity was a wild card. He barely knew much about his tech support, even though her constant babbling should have yielded more than awkward passing memories that really didn't describe much of her life outside of work. Oliver figured she was probably at home, watching movies or reading books or maybe even trying to hack into some secure network just for fun. What he didn't expect was to find her sitting cross legged on the floor on top of one of the training mats with what appeared to be a well worn acoustic guitar across her lap.

She was turned away from him and didn't hear him approach, but he definitely heard her strum the instrument until she was satisfied it was tuned to her liking. The melody she began to play was one Oliver didn't recognize, but it sounded upbeat and happy. Then her voice chimed in with the lyrics and he stood frozen on the last step of the stairs, completely mesmerized by the beautiful music that filled the room.

_Whoa-uh-ohWhoa-uh-oh  
__Woke up on the right side of the bed  
__What's up with this Prince song inside my head?  
__Hands up if you're down to get down tonight  
__'Cause it's always a good time__  
_

_Slept in all my clothes like I didn't care  
__Hopped into a cab, take me anywhere  
__I'm in if you're down to get down tonight  
__'Cause it's always a good time__  
_

Felicity's head began to bob in time with her chords, the music so freely falling from her bright pink lips as she closed her eyes and continued to sing.

_Good morning and good night  
__I'll wake up at twilight  
__It's gonna be alright  
__We don't even have to try  
__It's always a good time__  
_

_Whoa-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, whoa-oh-oh  
__It's always a good time  
__Whoa-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh  
__We don't even have to try  
__It's always a good time__  
_

The acoustics in this room were phenomenal, Oliver noted. The clear tone of her voice reverberated off the walls almost as if they were in music hall.

_Freaked out, dropped my phone in the pool again  
__Checked out of my room, hit the ATM  
__Let's hang out if you're down to get down tonight  
__'Cause it's always a good time  
_

_Good morning and good night  
__I'll wake up at twilight  
__It's gonna be alright  
__We don't even have to try  
__It's always a good time__  
_

Leaning against the railing, he couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips as he listened to Felicity sing her sweet song. He began to wonder if this was something she preferred to keep a secret or if she flaunted her gift for an audience every once in a while. It would be a shame to keep such a beautiful voice under wraps, he thought.

_Whoa-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, whoa-oh-oh  
__It's always a good time  
__Whoa-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh  
__We don't even have to try  
__It's always a good time.__  
_

_Doesn't matter when  
__It's always a good time then  
__Doesn't matter where  
__It's always a good time there__  
_

Felicity was smiling as she continued to sing, content in her little world where only she and her guitar existed. At that moment, she was happy. Her heart had ached to play music again, but the long nights she spent with Oliver had taken her away from the time she usually spent strumming her vintage Gibson.

That night she noticed it had begun to collect dust, so she decided to take it out for a little while, remembering how great the acoustics were in the basement of Verdant. That's how she'd ended up singing her cover of Owl City's "Good Time" and enjoying it thoroughly. She always appreciated a place with great acoustics, and this was definitely one of the best she'd found so far.

_Good morning and good night  
__I'll wake up at twilight  
__It's gonna be alright  
__We don't even have to try  
__It's always a good time__  
_

_Whoa-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, whoa-oh-oh  
__It's always a good time  
__Whoa-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh  
__We don't even have to try  
__It's always a good time__  
_

The sound of clapping made Felicity jump and turn, her guitar held tightly to her chest as she spied the intruder at the steps. "Oliver! What the hell! Are you _trying_ to give me a heart attack?" she scowled, her blue eyes narrowing on him. "How long have you been there anyway?"

In between the time she set her guitar back in its case and looked up again, Oliver was already standing in front of her, his hand held out to help her up off the mat. She took it and was on her feet in moments. "Long enough," he finally said as she bent down and picked the case up off the ground.

"Long enough as in the last song or long enough as in the entire acoustic set?" Felicity asked. The sly smile across her face threw him. She walked over to her desk to grab her purse.

"There was an entire acoustic set?" The disbelief was clear in Oliver's voice and it made her grin even wider.

"Too bad you missed it," she mused, slinging the guitar case over her shoulder so it lay flat across her back before stepping past him, her heels click-clacking across the floor as he watched her go. "See you soon," Felicity called over her shoulder as she reached the door and walked out before Oliver even got a chance to say another word.

Glancing down at her desk where her purse had been, Oliver noticed a small slip of bright orange paper that she'd either forgotten or had left for him to find. It was an invitation to an open mic night at a local piano bar near her apartment, the date tomorrow night. Intrigued, he folded it up and slipped it into the pocket of his suit jacket. If Felicity intended for him to find the invite, he was going to go.

* * *

The crowd was thin for an open mic night. Oliver had expected there to be more people, but only about half the tables were filled with patrons, most of them sipping beers or martinis. He chose to stay in the shadows where he felt more comfortable. Besides, if anything did happen and he needed to make a quick exit, a seat at the end of the long bar was the quickest way out.

A neon sign mounted to the brick wall above the short stage flashed "Old Town Piano Bar" in bright orange. There was a microphone set up in the center along with a stool and an amplifier. Other than that, there really wasn't much else to see. It was small and cozy with room for about a hundred people. Oliver could only imagine what this place looked like in its heyday. Unfortunately, it was now past its prime, catering to mostly neighborhood locals.

An announcer came on stage to give the night's line up, Felicity's name being the first called. She was nervously waiting in the wings, the guitar slung over her shoulder by a wide hand woven leather strap beaded with turquoise and amethyst stones on each end. Oliver could see her fidgeting with the strings, her fingers quietly strumming them over and over until the announcer hopped off the stage.

She wore a white tank top beneath a fitted pastel pink jacket and her favorite pair of faded old blue jeans with holes in the knees along with a simple pair of black flats. Instead of her usual ponytail, she'd chosen to let her hair fall loosely over her shoulders with only a thick white headband keeping it away from her face. Her blue eyes nervously scanned the crowd until she found who she was looking for and smiled.

Oliver found himself smiling back and giving her a small wave as she hopped onto the stool and took her time adjusting the mic until it was where she wanted it. He watched her close her eyes for a moment and take a deep breath before letting it out slowly and gazing at the small crowd.

"Hi, everyone, my name is Felicity and tonight I'd like to perform a song I wrote for a friend." She sounded nothing like her usual babbling self. Instead, she seemed more reserved than ever, choosing her words carefully as her eyes locked with Oliver's. "It's called 'Innocent'. I hope you like it."

As Felicity began strumming the chords, he noticed this song had a much more somber tone that the one she'd been singing in the basement. She didn't have to say who it was written for. Oliver already knew this was going to be a song about him. Of all the things Felicity had done for him, this was probably the most touching and least expected. He straightened up slightly, the beer he'd ordered when he first arrived completely forgotten on the bar as he listened to the first few lines of the song.

_I guess you really did it this time  
__Left yourself in your warpath  
__Lost your balance on a tightrope  
__Lost your mind tryin' to get it back__  
_

The lyrics hit him harder than he'd expected. Oliver was taken slightly aback by the words that came spilling from her pretty pink lips. Had Felicity always been this good with words or was it yet another talent he had yet to discover? Somehow she'd managed to capture the inner turmoil he always felt brooding deep within. And the way she'd described it was more than perfect.

If anyone had known what Oliver had become, they probably would have thought he'd lost it. But Felicity was different. She had embraced that side of him, as well as all the others, with open arms and a kind smile. She never judged him, never made him feel like Tommy had made him feel when he found out. That was still something he wished he'd never been forced to do. The pain and shock he'd seen on his best friend's face followed by the sorrow and disgust… It still weighed heavily upon Oliver to this day.

The tone of the song began to brighten slightly as she started strumming higher notes. Even the lyrics seemed to take on a brighter feeling as well, but there was still an undercurrent of sadness that couldn't quite be masked. Oliver could feel it in the way she sang the song, her eyes staring back at him full of emotions he didn't want to see just yet.

_Wasn't it easier in your lunchbox days?  
__Always a bigger bed to crawl into  
__Wasn't it beautiful when you believed in everything?  
__And everybody believed in you?  
_

_It's alright, just wait and see  
__Your string of lights is still bright to me  
__Oh, who you are is not where you've been.  
__You're still an innocent  
__You're still an innocent__  
_

It was the chorus that finally turned things around and tugged at Oliver's heartstrings more than he cared to admit. He was surprised, to say the least. Gone was the undercurrent of sadness. It had been replaced by the hope she had for him, the hope he'd noticed her hanging onto it on several occasions.

Felicity had never spoken of it, but her actions were much louder than her words. She always tried to make him accountable for his actions, but again, she never judged him if things didn't go as planned.

The emotions that seemed to swirl around him weren't unnoticed by the woman at the front of the room commanding everyone's attention with her beautiful song. Their eyes locked and she smiled. Felicity continued strumming away, returning to that more somber tone as she began singing the second part of her song.

_Did some things you can't speak of  
__But at night you live it all again  
__You wouldn't be shattered on the floor now  
__If only you would seen what you know now then__  
_

Oliver swallowed. He wasn't expecting the lump that suddenly formed in his throat as this second set of lyrics flowed into the room. He knew the moment Felicity sung them that she was referring to a specific incident she'd witnessed a few weeks prior. He replayed it in his mind and even now regretted everything that had happened that night.

Falling asleep on the couch in the far corner by his worktable had never been something Oliver liked doing. But that night, he'd been beyond exhausted after having stayed awake for well over thirty-six hours. Intending to just rest for a few minutes, sleep had come quickly, as did the nightmares. He'd been in the middle of an intense one when he felt someone touch his shoulder.

Instinct kicked in as it had the first night he was home. With one quick blow, Oliver thought he'd neutralized the threat, but the high pitched shriek that came from his would-be opponent brought him quickly back to consciousness. He found Felicity lying on the floor clutching her abdomen where he'd hit her.

Too shocked for words, Oliver shot off the couch and crouched down beside her. "Felicity, I'm so sorry," he apologized over and over as he helped her up off the floor and settled her on the soft leather. She'd just looked at him, the pity obvious in her eyes as she shook her head.

"I'm okay," Felicity said. "I just wanted to make sure you were alright." She took in a shaky, labored breath and he knew he'd caused more damage that she let on when she winced. "You were shaking and I was a little scare that something might have happened to you."

Sweet, caring Felicity… She always thought about others before she thought of herself. It broke Oliver's heart to see her hurting because of something he'd done to her. He had never meant for anything like this to happen. And yet here he was, feeling as if he'd betrayed her all the while she was putting on a brave face, hiding her pain from him the best she could.

"I'm okay," Oliver finally said, "but you're not."

"I'm fine, really," Felicity replied, plastering a fake smile that he easily saw through. "Nothing an ice pack and some pain killers won't fix." He was flying off the couch grabbing the things she asked for within moments. It was important to busy himself with something before what he'd done began to eat away at him. Grabbing an ice pack out of the mini fridge along with a bottle of water, Oliver made his way to the medical cabinet and found the ibuprofen they kept in there before making his way back to the couch.

"What were you dreaming about?" Felicity's question caught him off guard as he handed her the ice and the water then shook four orange pills into her hand.

Oliver paused for a moment, his gaze steady on her as he tried to recall his nightmare. "The island," he finally said before stepping away to put the pills back into the medical cabinet. When he returned, the ice pack was already pressed to a spot just below her ribcage as she took several long gulps from the water bottle.

As she set it down at her feet, Felicity glanced over at him. There wasn't a trace of anger in her eyes, only pity and understanding. "Oliver," she said, "I'm sorry about what happened to you on that island. If you need anyone to talk to, I'm always here." She reached over and squeezed his hand before giving him a small smile.

Returning her smile, Oliver nodded and replied, "I know."

For the next few weeks, they avoided the subject altogether, although on a few occasions as Felicity was reaching up to grab something off a shelf, Oliver would get a glimpse of the large purple and green bruise that would peek out from beneath her shirt. He cringed knowing he'd caused it and tried to find any possible excuse to do whatever she asked, which included buying her take out almost every night.

Oliver wished he could undo it, but what was done was done. Yet Felicity had so easily forgiven him that he didn't know how to wrap his mind around it. There was so much he had yet to learn about the petite blonde that tonight felt like just the tip of the iceberg.

_Wasn't it easier in your firefly-catchin' days?  
__When everything out of reach, someone bigger brought down to you  
__Wasn't it beautiful runnin' wild 'til you fell asleep  
__Before the monsters caught up to you?__  
_

Yes, the monsters had caught up to him, in ways Oliver couldn't have imagined. But he was beginning to see that living with the monsters and having them take over his life were two different things and that he had someone there who was more than willing to help him cope with what was going on inside his head. Felicity was truly beginning to shine as a friend, especially now, sitting there on stage, wearing her heart on her sleeve as she professed her unwavering loyalty and dedication. Not many people could do what she did, even fewer being able to put it in a song.

_It's alright, just wait and see  
__Your string of lights is still bright to me  
__Oh, who you are is not where you've been  
__You're still an innocent  
__It's okay, life is a tough crowd  
__32, and still growin' up now  
__Who you are is not what you did  
__You're still an innocent__  
_

_Time turns flames to embers  
__You'll have new Septembers  
__Every one of us has messed up too  
__Lives change like the weather  
__I hope you remember  
__Today is never too late to be brand new__  
_

Oliver had to smile at her words. Although they hit him hard, they were also comforting. Felicity believed in him enough to see past what had happened on the island and who he had been before it, finding the person he'd become instead and seeing he had changed for the better.

_It's alright, just wait and see  
__Your string of lights is still bright to me  
__Oh, who you are is not where you've been  
__You're still an innocent  
__It's okay, life is a tough crowd  
__32, and still growin' up now  
__Who you are is not what you did  
__You're still an innocent  
__You're still an innocent__  
_

_Lost your balance on a tightrope  
__It's never too late to get it back__  
_

As Felicity finished her song and looked up, she found that Oliver had disappeared from his perch by the bar. Her heart sank. Maybe the song had been a bit much for him to handle. She cursed herself for leaving that invite on her desk for him to find. Knowing full well that he had a hard time accepting things, she knew she'd probably pushed him a little too far tonight.

Hopping off the stool, Felicity smiled at the crowd, said her thank you and headed backstage to grab her guitar case and high-tail it out of there to find Oliver and apologize for being so brazen. But instead she found him standing there, his hands in the pockets of his faded blue jeans as he leaned against the brick wall.

"You wrote that for me." It was a statement, not a question. Their eyes met again.

What she found in those soft blue pools wasn't what she expected. Instead of anger or annoyance, she found gratitude and dare she say hope? Felicity's breath caught in her throat as she stared up to see him smiling that stunning, genuine Oliver Queen smile she rarely got to see. It took her a moment to regain her equilibrium because that smile always made her heart melt. And now she was getting it for something she'd done for him on a whim.

The song had actually come about the pervious afternoon as she sat in the foundry strumming the guitar idly thinking of what to sing next. It started with the chords and suddenly the lyrics began to spill from her mind. Felicity had grabbed a piece of paper, quickly scribbling them down until the semblance of a song arose. More strumming led to the melody and when she got home that evening, she played it for the first time to find she actually liked it.

Her original plan for the piano bar was to do a cover of Jason Mraz's "I Won't Give Up" but seeing that Oliver had actually made it out there, "Innocent" was the one she'd chosen to play for reasons still unfathomable to her. Maybe it was the fact that he'd looked so lost lately, or that he was drifting farther and farther away from his family and friends. Whatever it was, she didn't regret her decision, but she was still unsure how he'd take it.

"Yes, I wrote it for you," Felicity softly replied as she slipped the guitar strap off her shoulder and placed the vintage Gibson back into its sturdy black leather case. When she stood up, Oliver had pushed himself off the wall and was now standing in front of her.

"Thank you," he said, his expression a little more guarded than it had been earlier. Oliver looked as if he wanted to say more, but he'd kept it to himself as they stared at each other, not really knowing what to do next as people passed by oblivious to their presence.

It was Felicity who finally looked away as she bent down and grabbed the guitar case by its handle. She stepped past Oliver making her way to the back door of the bar where she'd parked her car. He walked beside her and held the door open as she passed through it. Unlocking her trunk, she gently placed the guitar inside and closed the hatch. When she turned around, she found him standing behind her.

"No one's ever written a song for me before," Oliver said, looking slightly bashful as his hand came around to the back of his neck and he looked down at his shoes.

"Did you like it?" Felicity finally asked the question she'd been too afraid to ask earlier. Her heart began to hammer in her chest as she waited for his response.

As Oliver mulled over his words, she leaned back against the side of her car, her arms wrapping around her chest as a cool breeze swept through the alley. A shiver ran through her.

"Are you cold?" Oliver asked when he noticed the goose bumps that were beginning to appear on the exposed parts of her skin. Felicity nodded and he slipped off his jacket, wrapping it around her shoulders.

"You never answered my question, though," she replied, looking up at him expectantly. There was trepidation and a hint of fear in her eyes.

Oliver knew she was thinking the worst, but he attempted to quell her fears, saying, "It was unexpected." Seeing Felicity bristle at the comment, her head falling to her feet, he quickly added, "But I really liked it."

Although her shoulders didn't fully relax, Felicity felt a little more at ease that she'd chosen the right song for tonight. Oliver leaned against the car beside her, his shoulder coming to rest against hers.

"Why didn't you ever tell me you were into music?" he asked.

"It never really came up." Felicity fidgeted with her car keys, the metal jingling together as she wondered what he was going to ask her next.

It was never her intention to keep her musical talents a secret, but the previous day had been a bit of a surprise for her. Felicity hadn't expected an audience as she practiced, but when Oliver found her in the basement, she figured it was time he finally got to see her outside the computer world. That was originally why she'd left him the invitation.

"I'm glad it finally did," Oliver said, knocking Felicity out of her thoughts. "You have a beautiful voice."

A flush came to her cheeks as she smiled and sheepishly replied, "Thank you." Glancing up, Felicity found that genuine smile still tugging at his lips. It made her heart flutter as a strand of her golden hair fell across her face. Oliver's fingers immediately came up to brush it back behind her ear and she froze. This was the first time he'd touched her in a while and all of a sudden the intense crush she had on him flared up, reddening her skin even more.

'You're just friends,' Felicity had to remind herself as she closed her eyes and took another deep breath. She was expecting his hand to have moved away from her face by now, but it lingered. Opening her eyes again, she found Oliver had moved a little closer as his fingers came to rest beneath her chin, holding it up so they were looking straight at each other.

"You always do that," he said, running his thumb over her cheek.

Felicity swallowed. "Do what?"

"Take a deep breath when you're nervous or scare," Oliver pointed out.

"Habit," she stammered, her eyes flicking away from his as the intensity of the moment lingered. His thumb was still stroking her cheek, the calloused pad sending jolts of heat across her skin.

"What's got you so tense?"

'You,' her mind tried to force her mouth to say, but Felicity immediately pursed her lips to control what probably would have been the worst slip of the tongue to date. "I was just unsure how you'd feel after tonight," she finally said, turning her focus on his feelings instead of her own.

That's when Oliver dropped his hand and leaned back against the car. Felicity instantly regretted her words because she was already beginning to miss the warmth of his fingers on her face. "You caught me off guard," he said. "I wasn't really prepared for the lyrics."

"I'm sorry," Felicity was quick to apologize, but his finger was on her lips in seconds to stop her.

"You have no reason to be sorry," Oliver replied. "If anyone should be sorry, it's me. I don't know how you can be so quick to forgive someone who nearly killed you in their sleep."

"Because I know you're struggling to adjust to being back in Starling City and that you've been through hell," Felicity said. "Whatever happened to you on that island, whatever it was you did to survive… It became a part of you that you're having trouble dealing with. I just wanted you to know you've got someone who's here willing to help you if need be."

She reached down and slipped her hand into his, squeezing his fingers in a show of support. Oliver looked over at her, yet again taken aback by the petite blonde who stood beside him, her blue eyes full of unconditional love and support he hadn't found in anyone he knew before the island. He still didn't understand how or why she could be so caring towards him, but for now, he accepted it wholeheartedly because Felicity had been the first person to ever show any interest in actually helping him instead of just glossing it over like his family and friends had.

Looking down at her, Oliver smiled. "You're remarkable, Felicity," he said.

Her glowing smile warmed his heart. "So I've been told," she coyly replied, her hand slipping from his as she pushed herself off the car door. "Well, I'd better get home," Felicity added.

But Oliver didn't want her to go, not yet at least. He grabbed her hand again and pulled her into his arms, giving her a warm hug. Felicity sighed into his embrace, wrapping her arms around his waist and hugging him back.

"Thank you for being my friend," he whispered into her ear.

"Always," Felicity replied before she stepped out of his arms. Another warm smile, another linger glance and the moment was over.

"Enjoy the rest of your week off," Oliver said, opening her car door for her. As Felicity stepped in, he added, "And feel free to bring in your guitar whenever you like."

"I will." She smiled as he closed her door. Pulling out of the parking spot, he waved her goodbye as she drove off back to her apartment.

It had definitely been a good decision to come tonight, Oliver thought to himself as he hopped onto his motorcycle and headed back to the club. Knowing Felicity was going to be there for him eased some of the tension he felt having brought her into the fold. She was proving to be someone he needed in his life now more than ever. Somehow Felicity had become the heart and soul of their little team, providing comfort in times of need and guidance when things got muddled and confusing.

But that wasn't even the half of it. She was beautiful, and not just in the normal sense of the word. Although Felicity was attractive, he had begun to look past that in the last few months, seeing instead the kindness and unconditional love she so readily gave to anyone who needed them. It made him see her as much more than just his IT girl. She'd run away with his heart as well.

There was no way of denying it now: Oliver Queen had fallen for Felicity Smoak.


End file.
